EU countries have on Wednesday agreed to reopen the borders for fully vaccinated travelers, according to sources to the news agency AFP.
Member States are free to decide whether to remove entry restrictions on presentation of a valid vaccination certificate. according to The Guardian.
Assistant health director Espen Rostrup Nakstad tells NTB that the news is in line with the signals that have been coming from the EU for a long time.
– It now remains to complete schemes in the individual countries with corona certificates, so that you can document your vaccination status at border crossings in Europe, he says.
Three steps
According to Associate Professor Anne Kjersti Befring at the University of Oslo, an agreement in the EU on the use of a corona certificate is the first step out of three that is necessary for fully vaccinated Norwegians to travel freely in Europe.
– First the EU discusses this, then the EEA countries must take a position on it, and finally a decision must be made nationally here in Norway, Befring tells Dagbladet.
THREE STEPS: Lawyer and committee member Anne Kjersti Befring says that there are three steps left before a possible corona passport can be used in Norway. Photo: Private
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She points out that the question of a corona passport has recently been on hearing, and that it should now be sent to the Storting
– Well, this has been on hearing there received over 10,000 consultation responses, many of which were negative. Now the Storting must first take a position on the legal basis, she says.
– Is it likely that this is something that can happen quickly?
– Yes, things can happen fast, it is quite possible that it can, Befring answers.
In Norway, the technical solutions around this are now being fully worked on, Nakstad tells NTB.
– Political authorities will decide how to use it, he says.
– It is gratifying that the EU has come so far in coordinating the work with the use of vaccine passports. Achieving a common solution will make it easier to open across countries in Europe, says health director Bjørn Guldvog.
Dagbladet has asked Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie (H) what the decision means for Norwegians.
– EU member states on Tuesday agreed on the content of the Council recommendation for travel into the EU. This new Council Recommendation has not yet been formally adopted. The council recommendation applies to travel from third countries into the EU / EEA, and thus not travel within the EU, he writes in an e-mail to Dagbladet.
In the reopening in Norway, the government will initially prioritize travel within the EU / EEA, according to Høie.
– We are now working on a joint corona certificate together with the EU. We will be able to use such a certificate to open up our society more and earlier.
“Watch out, you devils”
– Shortly
State Secretary Saliba Andreas Korkunc in the Ministry of Health and Care Services tells Dagbladet that it is too early to say anything about the details of the corona certificate.
– We are working to develop a corona certificate in line with the pan-European framework that is being developed in the EU. In addition, we are working to clarify which situations we can use a corona certificate in, says Korkunc
He also points out that the proposal for legislative amendments was recently consulted, and received over 10,000 consultation responses.
– Our purpose is to establish a system for secure and verified documentation of corona status and will submit proposals for legislative amendments to the Storting shortly.
The State Secretary further states that the starting point is that the infection situation and the degree of vaccination must form the basis for the relief that can be made in the national restrictions.
– We therefore support that the actual use of the certificate is regulated by the individual country, and the same applies to the extent to which the various countries require entry quarantine, testing and vaccination. But the solution must work both within and outside our borders, he says and adds:
– When it comes to corona certificates, international cooperation and good coordination will be important to make it possible to travel across national borders.
STATE SECRETARY: Political Adviser Saliba Andreas Korkunc. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB
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Unnecessary travel
EU negotiations on a possible vaccine passport began in March. It can ensure quarantine-free travel within the union, but it is up to the 27 member states to decide what benefits such a passport will provide in their country.
Greece has already eased entry requirements for visitors who have been vaccinated, and Spain allows EU tourists as long as they have a negative coronation test.
Unnecessary travel into the EU is currently discouraged, with the exception of a few countries that are considered safe because the spread of infection is low.
At the same time, business is opening up in Europe as restrictions are eased. Hotels and restaurants are worried about the revenue from this summer’s tourist season.
Even with the new rules, unvaccinated people from large parts of the world will still not be able to enter the EU without restrictions.
Challenges
Considering use in stores
On April 14, it was announced that the government has plans ready for a corona certificate for events and trips abroad. It was then said that the first verifiable version is scheduled to be completed in early June, and be suitable for use in this country.
A vaccine pass will probably grant exemptions from the Infection Control Act, and vaccinated, immune and people who test negative will be able to benefit society.
However, several experts have pointed out challenges when it comes to this.
– Must happen for sure
Corona Pass: Fear sloping effect
When EU leaders met on Tuesday, they failed to agree on the vaccine passport scheme.
Associate Professor Anne Kjersti Befring, who has herself been a member of the Vorland Committee, says that if the countries do not agree on such a certificate, it will be up to each individual country if they want to accept the documentation that is available.
– Then it will be up to each individual country if you accept admission and if you avoid corona hotels upon entry, she says.
– However, it is important that this is done in a safe way. Here, challenges may arise with falsified evidence, she adds.
– What are Norway’s requirements or wishes related to what such a vaccine passport scheme should contain or provide opportunities?
